The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-10-25
Still Harping on Pension vetoes.

Il
In the political campaign now going on
in New York the Republican orators and
newspapers are endeavoring to make CAPT
tai against the Democratic party by calling
attention to, and commenting on, the pen
Sion vetoes of the President. In his speech
| in New York city on Saturday night Sena-
! tor Hiscock said that 1.-The Republican
J party always stood pledged to the support,
! by liberal PENSIONS of the Union veterans,
but President Cleveland has sent limping
from the White House, or the halls of legis-
lation, 100 Of our Union veterans, TO be
supported by charity of their friends, or by
the difent States, as paupers."
The Senator failed to state why the Presi
dent vetoed the pension bills to which he
called attention, and why Congress failed
to pass them over the vetoes. Ii he had
done so he would have destroyed the point
he wished to make He acted the part of a
demagogue instead of that of a statesman.
1t viii not be denied that Mr.. Cleveland
has already signed more pension bills than
any of his predecessors notwithstanding
that the length of time that has elapsed since
the close of the war would seem to justify
entitled to pensions have been provided for.
This alone proves beyond doubt that he is
not unfriendly to wise pension legislation.
He vetoed a large number of pension bills
because he was satisfied, after examining
them, that the beneficiaries mentioned in
them were not entitled to pensions. He
took the trouble to do what Congress had
failed to do, viz to find out whether the
claims for pensions made in the private pen
sion bills which came to him for his APP
proval were fraudulent or not If Con-
gressmen had been as faithful to the trust
reposed in them as he was to the trust re-
posed in him tho bills would never have
reached him. When the vetoes came up
for consideration in Congress they were
sustained because the reasons given for
them were satisfactory. If the pensions
ought to have been granted why was it that
Congress did not grant them notwithstand-
ing the vetoes!
Everybody knows how private pensions
bills are put through Congress Some
meYber of the Pension Committee accepts
the statement of pension claim lawyer re-
speeding the business of claim, and the
entire committee adopts the report of the
member. The claim goes to the House or
Senate, as the case may be, with favorable
report, and is passed some night when the
few members present have no other purpose
than to act on pension and other claims.
The Senator did not say anything in his
speech about the dependent pension bill
which the President vetoed, and which, if
it had become law, would haYe taken
something like SIS, 900 900 out of the Treas
ury. And why did he not9 Because the
ablest of the newspapers of his own party
condemned the bill and commended the
President for vetoing it. They pointed out
the folly of giving pensions to those who
had not earned them. They did not dare to
take any other position, because the common
sense of the country was against such a
monstrous measure.
OF course, the Republicans will continue
to promise pensions as long as they think
that policy of that kind will benefit them
They aim to get control of the government,
and are ready to adopt any means to accom-
plish their purpose.